“In addition to transforming clients’ living spaces, Esherick built himself a studio and workshop on the hill behind his farmhouse, furnishing the premises entirely with his handiwork — from sofas and beds to wastebaskets and door latches — making it impossible to tell where Esherick’s private life ended and his art began.”
“Because these practical items were created to be used, their tactile qualities are often overpowering, creating a tantalizing urge to sit, to write, to hold, to touch.”
“Our hyper-technological age seems like the right time for a renewed appreciation of Wharton Esherick’s idiosyncratic, highly crafted, sculptural furniture.”
“Visiting the museum is like entering another world where every nook and cranny, from the buildings themselves to the items they contain, is an artistic journey.”
“Much of his work has an abhorrence for a straight line and a 90-degree angle, reveling in a sensuous bend wherever possible.”
“If your knowledge of outside-the-box furniture design starts and ends with Ikea’s iconic and ubiquitous Poäng armchair — I’m literally sitting in one as I write this — I need to introduce you to Wharton Esherick.”
Recent Press
Art, Work, and Everyday Life: A New Look at the Esherick Studio
While several of Esherick’s works travel with The Crafted World of Wharton Esherick, we are excited to offer visitors a chance to experience the Studio space in a new way with the installation of Art, Work, and Everyday Life: A New Look at the Esherick Studio. With over 70 Esherick works are on the road, we have the unique opportunity to showcase rarely seen objects from our collection and beyond. These new displays highlight both the artworks and the ephemera of Esherick’s daily life — from work tables and easels to handmade ceramic dishes — and reintroduce the Studio as an ever-changing space of creative activity. Learn more about the new Studio setup here!
Current Exhibition
Working at a Joyous Creative Thing: Weaving, Making, and Material Culture in Letty Esherick’s Legacy
September 18, 2025 – December 28, 2025
We are pleased to announce a new exhibition by our current Artist-in-Residence, Kelly Cobb; Working at a Joyous Creative Thing: Weaving, Making, and Material Culture in Letty Esherick’s Legacy, an exhibition highlighting Cobb’s ongoing research and creative work at WEM.
Working at a Joyous Creative Thing showcases original textiles by Letty Esherick discovered by WEM staff in 2022. They include garments, weaving samples, and works-in-progress, and likely date from the 1940s through her death in 1975. Cobb is among the first scholars to study these textiles.
This installation marks the first public presentation of Letty’s textiles in at least five decades. They are shown alongside new works by Cobb, as well as artworks across disciplines by a group of skilled collaborators that range from handmade garments to sound art to embroidery. Together, they situate Letty’s practice within broader narratives of artistic ambition, gendered labor, and creative survival.
The exhibition will be on display in the Visitor Center through December 28th, which is open during our tour hours (Wednesday-Sunday 10-3). Please note, guests wishing to enter the Studio must make advance reservations for a tour.
“If it’s not fun, it’s not worth doing” –Wharton Esherick
The Wharton Esherick Museum celebrates and preserves the legacy of American artist Wharton Esherick, who worked primarily in wood to create furniture, furnishings, utensils, interiors, buildings and more.
A National Historic Landmark for Architecture, his hilltop studio/residence, with more than 300 of his works on exhibition, has been preserved much as it was when the artist lived and worked there.
We invite you to visit the Museum through a guided experience for which reservations are required.
Explore the Museum Digitally-
Check out the Wharton Esherick Museum in our digital guide on Bloomberg Connects, the free arts and culture app.
The digital guide features a tour of the grounds with a variety of insights shared by WEM staff as well as audio clips of Wharton himself. Whether you are on our campus, or exploring from afar, take the digital tour to learn more about Wharton’s life and the structures he built or designed that make this site a National Historic Landmark for Architecture. Additionally, our guide has information on exhibitions, upcoming programs, highlights from the collection, and more.
WEM is delighted to join the hundreds of institutions–museums, galleries, sculpture parks, gardens, and cultural spaces–available to explore on Bloomberg Connects. All that in one free download from the App Store or Google Play.
Virtual Exhibition
Imprint 2025: Renewal
Opened April 13, 2025
Imprint 2025: Renewal is our 17th annual high school print competition and exhibition! This online exhibition, viewable now on our website, represents a juried selection of works submitted by high school students from across Berks, Bucks, Chester, Delaware, Lehigh, Montgomery, and Philadelphia Counties.
Recognizing the pivotal role that printmaking played in Esherick’s life, we are delighted to once again highlight young artists who represent the future of this powerful medium, with Imprint 2025: Renewal. We were astounded by the skill and creativity of the submissions and send a huge thank you to all the art teachers and students who shared their work with us!
“A complete expression of one man’s intensely personal fusion of fine craftsmanship with the wild flights of the imagination.”
“Fun, neat, creative, colorful, comfortable, smooth, flowing, exciting, cool, twisty, wavy, and extraordinary.”
